DOCSLIB.ORG

Recent Eruptions Between 2012 and 2018 Discovered at West Mata Submarine Volcano (NE Lau Basin, SW Pacific) and Characterized by New Ship, AUV, and ROV Data

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Recent Eruptions Between 2012 and 2018 Discovered at West Mata Submarine Volcano (NE Lau Basin, SW Pacific) and Characterized by New Ship, AUV, and ROV Data fmars-06-00495 August 16, 2019 Time: 18:14 # 1 ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 20 August 2019 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00495 Recent Eruptions Between 2012 and 2018 Discovered at West Mata Submarine Volcano (NE Lau Basin, SW Pacific) and Characterized by New Ship, AUV, and ROV Data William W. Chadwick Jr.1*, Kenneth H. Rubin2, Susan G. Merle3, Andra M. Bobbitt3, Tom Kwasnitschka4 and Robert W. Embley3 1 NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Newport, OR, United States, 2 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Manoa,¯ Honolulu, HI, United States, 3 CIMRS, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, United States, 4 GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany West Mata is a submarine volcano located in the SW Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Samoa in the NE Lau Basin. West Mata was discovered to be actively erupting at its summit in September 2008 and May 2009. Water-column chemistry and hydrophone Edited by: data suggest it was probably continuously active until early 2011. Subsequent repeated Cristina Gambi, Marche Polytechnic University, Italy bathymetric surveys of West Mata have shown that it changed to a style of frequent Reviewed by: but intermittent eruptions away from the summit since then. We present new data Paraskevi Nomikou, from ship-based bathymetric surveys, high-resolution bathymetry from an autonomous National and Kapodistrian University underwater vehicle, and observations from remotely operated vehicle dives that of Athens, Greece Simon James Barker, document four additional eruptions between 2012 and 2018. Three of those eruptions Victoria University of Wellington, occurred between September 2012 and March 2016; one near the summit on the upper New Zealand ENE rift, a second on the NE flank away from any rift zone, and a third at the NE base *Correspondence: William W. Chadwick Jr. of the volcano. The latter intruded a sill into a basin with thick sediments, uplifted them, [email protected] and then extruded lava onto the seafloor around them. The most recent of the four eruptions occurred between March 2016 and November 2017 along the middle ENE rift Specialty section: This article was submitted to zone and produced pillow lava flows with a shingled morphology and tephra as well as Deep-Sea Environments and Ecology, clastic debris that mantled the SE slope. ROV dive observations show that the shallower a section of the journal recent eruptions at West Mata include a substantial pyroclastic component, based Frontiers in Marine Science on thick (>1 m) tephra deposits near eruptive vents. The deepest eruption sites lack Received: 02 April 2019 Accepted: 22 July 2019 these near-vent tephra deposits, suggesting that pyroclastic activity is minimal below Published: 20 August 2019 ∼2500 mbsl. The multibeam sonar re-surveys constrain the timing, thickness, area, Citation: morphology, and volume of the new eruptions. The cumulative erupted volume since Chadwick WW Jr, Rubin KH, Merle SG, Bobbitt AM, 1996 suggests that eruptions at West Mata are volume-predictable with an average Kwasnitschka T and Embley RW eruption rate of 7.8 × 106 m3/yr. This relatively low magma supply rate and the high (2019) Recent Eruptions Between frequency of eruptions (every 1–2 years) suggests that the magma reservoir at West 2012 and 2018 Discovered at West Mata Submarine Volcano (NE Lau Mata is relatively small. With its frequent activity, West Mata continues to be an ideal Basin, SW Pacific) and Characterized natural laboratory for the study of submarine volcanic eruptions. by New Ship, AUV, and ROV Data. Front. Mar. Sci. 6:495. Keywords: submarine volcanoes, submarine eruptions, seafloor mapping, bathymetry changes, multibeam sonar doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00495 surveying, lava flow morphology, pyroclastic activity, autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicle Frontiers in Marine Science | www.frontiersin.org 1 August 2019 | Volume 6 | Article 495 fmars-06-00495 August 16, 2019 Time: 18:14 # 2 Chadwick et al. Recent Eruptions at West Mata Volcano INTRODUCTION The observations also provide information about the character of individual eruptions at different depths, because they span the We learn the most about active volcanic processes by directly entire volcano from the summit to abyssal depths (Figure 2). We observing them, a fact that motivates the establishment of show that the recent eruptions define a linear trend in erupted observatories at Earth’s most active volcanoes. Eruptions that volume with time, which has implications for the magma supply, occur on land have obvious manifestations, making them easy the volume of magma storage within the volcano, and the future targets for enhanced observation and study, but detecting and behavior of the volcano. observing volcanic eruptions in the deep sea is much more difficult (Rubin et al., 2012), despite the fact that most of Earth’s volcanic output occurs in the oceans (Crisp, 1984). PREVIOUS WORK Frequently active submarine volcanoes provide a rare and valuable opportunity to learn about the underwater processes West Mata first gained attention in November 2008 during associated with individual eruptions as well as how a submarine a regional hydrographic survey that discovered an intense volcano’s activity evolves with time (Staudigel et al., 2006; Watts hydrothermal plume over the summit with high levels of et al., 2012; Schnur et al., 2017; Allen et al., 2018; Wilcock et al., hydrogen and shards of volcanic glass, suggesting it was actively 2018). West Mata is of special interest because it is an excellent erupting at the time (Resing et al., 2011; Baumberger et al., 2014). example of such a site. This led to a rapid-response expedition 6 months later in May West Mata is a frequently active submarine volcano with a 2009 with ROV Jason (Resing et al., 2011) that found two active summit depth at ∼1200 meters below sea level (mbsl) and a base eruptive vents on the north side of the summit ridge, named at nearly 3000 mbsl, located in the extensional NE Lau Basin Hades and Prometheus. The eruptive activity was continuous between Fiji and Samoa in the SW Pacific Ocean (Figure 1). It is at moderate to low effusion rates, and was characterized by one of only two places on Earth where active submarine eruptions explosive bursts that produced both pillow lavas and pyroclasts, have been directly observed in the deep sea (>500 mbsl depth) especially when large bubbles of magmatic gases up to ∼1 m in (Resing et al., 2011; Rubin et al., 2012). It is also by far the deepest diameter (presumably SO2, CO2,H2O) were expelled from the since the other site is NW Rota-1 Seamount in the Mariana arc, vent (Resing et al., 2011). which has a summit depth of 517 mbsl (Embley et al., 2006; During that same expedition in May 2009, the summit and rift Chadwick et al., 2008, 2012; Deardorff et al., 2011; Schnur et al., zones were mapped at high-resolution (1 m) with the MBARI 2017). West Mata is also unique because it is the only known AUV D. Allan B. (Clague et al., 2011; Clague, 2015), revealing site where lava of boninite composition is being erupted in a the setting of the Hades and Prometheus eruptive vents within modern tectonic setting, a composition often associated with embayments of the summit ridge on the upper north slope of the nascent inter-oceanic subduction (Resing et al., 2011; Rubin et al., volcano. The high-resolution AUV bathymetry also highlighted 2018). West Mata is the largest of nine volcanoes with similar the contrast in morphology between the smooth north and south morphology and composition, comprising the “Mata Group,” all slopes of the volcano, which are covered with volcaniclastic debris elongate cones with roughly parallel rift zones that are oriented shed from vents near the summit, and the hummocky lava flows in a WSW-ENE direction (Figure 1), suggesting a regional evident on the ENE and WSW rift zones. The rift zone flows have structural control (Clague et al., 2011; Rubin et al., 2018). a distinctive morphology with flat tops and steep sides and are The Mata Group volcanoes lie in a “rear-arc” tectonic setting, typically arranged in a shingled arrangement along the sloping between the Tonga volcanic arc to the east, and the NE Lau back- rift zone axis, locally modified by landslides. Clague et al. (2011) arc spreading center to the west, and in-board of the nearly 90◦ also compared the first ship-based bathymetric survey at West bend at the northern terminus of the Tonga trench, where it Mata in 1996 to later ones collected in 2008–2010 and found transitions into a plate boundary transform zone (Figure 1). The large depth changes at the summit (up to 88 m shallower) and NE Lau Basin hosts the world’s highest subduction rates (Bevis on north flank (up to 96 m shallower), suggesting that eruptive et al., 1995) and the fastest opening back-arc basin (Zellmer and activity from the summit vents had been dominant for more Taylor, 2001), which creates an extraordinary concentration and than a decade and had produced thick volcaniclastic deposits on diversity of submarine volcanism in the area (Embley and Rubin, the north flank. 2018; Rubin et al., 2018) and also hosts an extraordinary number Additional evidence that the eruptive activity directly obser- of active hydrothermal vent sites (Baker et al., 2019). ved during the brief ROV dives in May 2009 was continuous This paper presents new results from West Mata including and prolonged for months to years comes from local and depth changes between repeated bathymetric surveys from ships, regional hydrophone studies, radiometric dating, and repeated high-resolution mapping from autonomous underwater vehicles hydrothermal plume measurements in the water column over the (AUVs), and visual observations of the seafloor from remotely volcano.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Exploring Submarine Arc Volcanoes Steven Carey University of Rhode Island, [email protected]
    University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Graduate School of Oceanography Publications 2007 Exploring Submarine Arc Volcanoes Steven Carey University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Haraldur Sigurdsson University of Rhode Island Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs Terms of Use All rights reserved under copyright. Citation/Publisher Attribution Carey, S., and H. Sigurdsson. 2007. Exploring submarine arc volcanoes. Oceanography 20(4):80–89, https://doi.org/10.5670/ oceanog.2007.08. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2007.08 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Oceanography at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This article has This been published in or collective redistirbution of any portion of this article by photocopy machine, reposting, or other means is permitted only with the approval of The approval portionthe ofwith any permitted articleonly photocopy by is of machine, reposting, this means or collective or other redistirbution SP ec I A L Iss U E On Ocean E X P L O R ATIO N Oceanography , Volume 20, Number 4, a quarterly journal of The 20, Number 4, a quarterly , Volume O ceanography Society. Copyright 2007 by The 2007 by Copyright Society. ceanography Exploring O ceanography Society. All rights All reserved. Society. ceanography O Submarine Arc Volcanoes or Th e [email protected] Send Society. ceanography to: correspondence all B Y S T even C A R E Y an D H A R A LDUR SIGURD ss O N Three quarters of Earth’s volcanic activ- although a significant part of arc volca- tion of tsunamis (Latter, 1981).
    [Show full text]
  • Geology, Geochemistry and Earthquake History of Lō`Ihi Seamount, Hawai`I
    INVITED REVIEW Geology, Geochemistry and Earthquake History of Lō`ihi Seamount, Hawai`i Michael O. Garcia1*, Jackie Caplan-Auerbach2, Eric H. De Carlo3, M.D. Kurz4 and N. Becker1 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawai`i, Honolulu, HI, USA 2U.S.G.S., Alaska Volcano Observatory, Anchorage, AK, USA 3Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai`i, Honolulu, HI, USA 4Department of Chemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA *Corresponding author: Tel.: 001-808-956-6641, FAX: 001-808-956-5521; email: [email protected] Key words: Loihi, seamount, Hawaii, petrology, geochemistry, earthquakes Abstract A half century of investigations are summarized here on the youngest Hawaiian volcano, Lō`ihi Seamount. It was discovered in 1952 following an earthquake swarm. Surveying in 1954 determined it has an elongate shape, which is the meaning of its Hawaiian name. Lō`ihi was mostly forgotten until two earthquake swarms in the 1970’s led to a dredging expedition in 1978, which recovered young lavas. This led to numerous expeditions to investigate the geology, geophysics, and geochemistry of this active volcano. Geophysical monitoring, including a real- time submarine observatory that continuously monitored Lō`ihi’s seismic activity for three months, captured some of the volcano’s earthquake swarms. The 1996 swarm, the largest recorded in Hawai`i, was preceded by at least one eruption and accompanied by the formation of a ~300-m deep pit crater, renewing interest in this submarine volcano. Seismic and petrologic data indicate that magma was stored in a ~8-9 km deep reservoir prior to the 1996 eruption.
    [Show full text]
  • Microbiology of Seamounts Is Still in Its Infancy
    or collective redistirbution of any portion of this article by photocopy machine, reposting, or other means is permitted only with the approval of The approval portionthe ofwith any articlepermitted only photocopy by is of machine, reposting, this means or collective or other redistirbution This article has This been published in MOUNTAINS IN THE SEA Oceanography MICROBIOLOGY journal of The 23, Number 1, a quarterly , Volume OF SEAMOUNTS Common Patterns Observed in Community Structure O ceanography ceanography S BY DAVID EmERSON AND CRAIG L. MOYER ociety. © 2010 by The 2010 by O ceanography ceanography O ceanography ceanography ABSTRACT. Much interest has been generated by the discoveries of biodiversity InTRODUCTION S ociety. ociety. associated with seamounts. The volcanically active portion of these undersea Microbial life is remarkable for its resil- A mountains hosts a remarkably diverse range of unusual microbial habitats, from ience to extremes of temperature, pH, article for use and research. this copy in teaching to granted ll rights reserved. is Permission S ociety. ociety. black smokers rich in sulfur to cooler, diffuse, iron-rich hydrothermal vents. As and pressure, as well its ability to persist S such, seamounts potentially represent hotspots of microbial diversity, yet our and thrive using an amazing number or Th e [email protected] to: correspondence all end understanding of the microbiology of seamounts is still in its infancy. Here, we of organic or inorganic food sources. discuss recent work on the detection of seamount microbial communities and the Nowhere are these traits more evident observation that specific community groups may be indicative of specific geochemical than in the deep ocean.
    [Show full text]
  • Anatomy of an Active Submarine Volcano
    Downloaded from geology.gsapubs.org on July 28, 2014 Anatomy of an active submarine volcano A.F. Arnulf1, A.J. Harding1, G.M. Kent2, S.M. Carbotte3, J.P. Canales4, and M.R. Nedimović3,5 1Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA 2Nevada Seismological Laboratory, 0174, University of Nevada–Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA 3Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02540, USA 5Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H4J1, Canada ABSTRACT To date, seismic experiments have been one Most of the magma erupted at mid-ocean ridges is stored in a mid-crustal melt lens that lies of the keys in our understanding of the inter- at the boundary between sheeted dikes and gabbros. Nevertheless, images of the magma path- nal structure of volcanic systems (Okubo et al., ways linking this melt lens to the overlying eruption site have remained elusive. Here, we have 1997; Kent et al., 2000; Zandomeneghi et al., used seismic methods to image the thickest magma reservoir observed beneath any spreading 2009; Paulatto et al., 2012). However, most ex- center to date, which is principally attributed to the juxtaposition of the Juan de Fuca Ridge periments, especially subaerial-based ones, are with the Cobb hotspot (northwestern USA). Our results reveal a complex melt body, which restricted to refraction geometries with limited is ~14 km long, 3 km wide, and up to 1 km thick, beneath the summit caldera.
    [Show full text]
  • Bathymetric Monitoring of Submarine Active Volcanoes
    Bathymetric monitoring of submarine active volcanoes: an example of island-forming eruption of Nishi-no-shima volcano Taisei MORISHITA, Tomozo ONO; Hydrographic and Oceanographic Dept. of Japan Coast Guard (JHOD) 1. JCG’s mission on active volcanoes 2. Nishi-no-shima volcano and its eruption events in the seas around Japan Nishi‐no‐shima volcano, which is located about 1000 km south of Tokyo, Japan (see Fig.1), is one of the active submarine volcanoes on the volcanic front. The volcanic edifice rises ~3,500 m above In the sea areas of Japan exist about 40 active Tokyo the surrounding seafloor (Fig.4). Its summit forms Nishi‐no‐shima Island. Two eruption events volcanoes (volcanic islands/submarine volcanoes) occurred at the Nishi‐no‐shima volcano (1973‐74 and 2013‐2015). (Fig.1). For securing safety of navigation, Japan Coast Guard (JCG) conducts Nishi‐no‐shima Island (1) aerial monitoring of the volcanoes (regularly Nishi‐no‐shima Island Depth: ~3500m and in an emergency), and Nishi-no-shima (2) bathymetric mapping as well as marine Fig.3 geophysical and geological surveys of the volcanoes. Fig.2 (1) Aerial monitoring of the volcanoes Fig.1 Distribution of active volcanoes in the seas Discolored water (Fig.2) is an indication of around Japan (red triangles) which JCG conducts View from SW subaqueous volcanic activities at a relatively monitoring and surveys. Fig.4 Bathymetric map of Nishi‐no‐shima volcano (left) and its 3‐D bathymetric view (right). shallow water. In case that discolored water or Minami‐Io To Island (1) Eruption in 1973–1974 other signs of eruptions are observed, JCG The 1973–1974 eruption is the first event in recorded history and lasted for one year.
    [Show full text]
  • The Axial Seamount: Life on a Vent
    The Axial Seamount: Life on a Vent Timeframe Description 50 minutes This activity asks students to understand, and build a food web to Target Audience describe the interdependent relationships of hydrothermal vent organisms. Hydrothermal vents were only discovered in 1977, and as Grades 5th- 8th more vents are explored we are finding out more about the unique creatures that live there. In Life on a Vent students will learn about Suggested Materials vent organisms, their feeding relationships, and use that information • Hydrothermal vent organism cards to construct a food web. • Poster paper Objectives • Marking pens Students will: • Sticky notes • Make a food web diagram of the hydrothermal vent community • Painter's tape (to show connections) • Show the flow of energy and materials in a vent ecosystem • Learn about organisms that live in extreme environments and use chemosynthesis to produce energy • Make claims and arguments about each organisms place in the food web Essential Questions What do producers and consumers use as energy at hydrothermal vent ecosystems, and how does that energy travel through the trophic levels of the ecosystem? Background Information Hydrothermal Vents, How do They Form? Under sea volcanoes at spreading ridges and convergent plate boundaries produce underwater geysers, known as hydrothermal vents. They form as seawater seeps deep into the ocean's crust. As the seawater seeps deeper into the Earth, it interacts with latent heat from nearby magma chambers, which are possibly fueling a nearby volcano. Once the freezing cold water heats up deep near the Contact: crust, it begins to rise. As the extremely hot seawater rises, it melts SMILE Program the rocks it passes by leaching chemicals and metals from them [email protected] through high heat chemical reactions.
    [Show full text]
  • What's the Difference?
    New Zealand American Submarine Ring of Fire 2007 What’s The Difference? FOCUS SEATING ARRANGEMENT Volcanic processes at convergent and divergent Classroom style if students are working individu- tectonic plate boundaries ally, or groups of two to four students GRADE LEVEL MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS 9-12 (Earth Science) 30 FOCUS QUESTION KEY WORDS How do volcanic processes differ at convergent Volcano and divergent tectonic plate boundaries? Caldera Hot spot LEARNING OBJECTIVES Ring of Fire Students will be able to compare and contrast Asthenosphere volcanoes at convergent and divergent plate Lithosphere boundaries. Magma Fault Students will be able to identify three geologic Transform boundary features that are associated with most volcanoes Convergent boundary on Earth. Divergent boundary Subduction Students will be able to explain why some volca- Tectonic plate noes erupt explosively while others do not. BACKGROUND INFORMATION MATERIALS The Submarine Ring of Fire is an arc of active vol- Copies of “Submarine Volcanism Worksheet,” canoes that partially encircles the Pacific Ocean one copy for each student or student group Basin, including the Kermadec and Mariana Islands in the western Pacific, the Aleutian Islands AUDIO/VISUAL MATERIALS between the Pacific and Bering Sea, the Cascade (Optional) Computer projection equipment to Mountains in western North America, and numer- show downloaded video materials ous volcanoes on the western coasts of Central America and South America. These volcanoes TEACHING TIME result from the motion of
    [Show full text]
  • Oceanographyra Spocietyhy
    OceThe OfficiaaL MaganZineog of the Oceanographyra Spocietyhy CITATION Rubin, K.H., S.A. Soule, W.W. Chadwick Jr., D.J. Fornari, D.A. Clague, R.W. Embley, E.T. Baker, M.R. Perfit, D.W. Caress, and R.P. Dziak. 2012. Volcanic eruptions in the deep sea. Oceanography 25(1):142–157, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2012.12. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2012.12 COPYRIGHT This article has been published inOceanography , Volume 25, Number 1, a quarterly journal of The Oceanography Society. Copyright 2012 by The Oceanography Society. All rights reserved. USAGE Permission is granted to copy this article for use in teaching and research. Republication, systematic reproduction, or collective redistribution of any portion of this article by photocopy machine, reposting, or other means is permitted only with the approval of The Oceanography Society. Send all correspondence to: [email protected] or The Oceanography Society, PO Box 1931, Rockville, MD 20849-1931, USA. downLoaded from http://www.tos.org/oceanography OCEANIC SPREADING CENTER PROCESSES | Ridge 2000 PROGRAM RESEARCH Volcanic Eruptions in the Deep Sea BY KEnnETH H. RUBIN, S. ADAM SOULE, WILLIAM W. CHADWICK JR., DANIEL J. FORNARI, DAVID A. CLAGUE, RobERT W. EMBLEY, EDWARD T. BAKER, MICHAEL R. PERFIT, DAVID W. CAREss, AND RobERT P. DZIAK Eruption of molten lapilli, ash, and sulfur-rich fumes at Hades vent, West Mata Volcano. 142 Oceanography | Vol. 25, No. 1 AbsTRACT. Volcanic eruptions are important events in Earth’s cycle of magma eruptions, we also discuss submarine generation and crustal construction. Over durations of hours to years, eruptions eruptions in other settings because produce new deposits of lava and/or fragmentary ejecta, transfer heat and magmatic volcanism is a continuum of conditions volatiles from Earth’s interior to the overlying air or seawater, and significantly and processes across the full range of modify the landscape and perturb local ecosystems.
    [Show full text]
  • Physical Modeling of Tsunamis Generated by Submarine Volcanic Eruptions
    Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 21, EGU2019-11871, 2019 EGU General Assembly 2019 © Author(s) 2019. CC Attribution 4.0 license. Physical modeling of tsunamis generated by submarine volcanic eruptions Yibin Liu, Hermann M. Fritz, and Zhongduo Zhang School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA ([email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]) Tsunamis are normally associated with submarine earthquakes along subduction zones, such as the 2011 Japan tsunami. However, there are significant tsunami sources related to submarine volcanic eruptions. Volcanic tsunamis, like tectonic tsunamis, typically occur with little warning and can devastate populated coastal areas at considerable distances from the volcano. There have been more than 90 volcanic tsunamis accounting for about 25% of all fatalities directly attributable to volcanic eruptions during the last 250 years. The two deadliest non-tectonic tsunamis in the past 300 years are due to the 1883 Krakatoa eruption in Indonesia with associated pyroclastic flows and Japan’s Mount Unzen lava dome collapse in 1792. At the source, volcanic tsunamis can exceed tectonic tsunamis in wave height. There are at least nine different mechanisms by which volcanoes produce tsunamis. Most volcanic tsunami waves have been produced by extremely energetic explosive volcanic eruptions in submarine or near water surface settings, or by flow of voluminous pyroclastic flows or debris avalanches into the sea. The “orange” alert in July 2015 at the Kick ‘em Jenny submarine volcano off Granada in the Caribbean Sea highlighted the challenges in characterizing the tsunami waves for a potential submarine volcanic eruption. The recent activity and collapse of the volcanic cone at Anak Krakatau generated tsunami waves that impacted coasts along the Sunda Strait without any prior warnings and caused more than 400 fatalities on December 22, 2018.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpretation of Detections of Volcanic Activity at Ioto Island Obtained From
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Interpretation of detections of volcanic activity at Ioto Island obtained from in situ seismometers and remote hydrophones of the International Monitoring System Hiroyuki Matsumoto1,2*, Mario Zampolli2, Georgios Haralabus2, Jerry Stanley2, James Mattila2 & Nurcan Meral Özel2 In-situ seismic observations identifed that volcanic activity of Ioto (formerly Iwojima), a volcanic island ofshore Japan, increased in early September 2018. Observations of discolored nearshore waters and a splash reported by a local fyover provided evidence for a connection between undersea eruptions and recorded seismic activity. However there remain uncertainties as to when the undersea eruption series commenced and how much of the in-situ seismic activity recorded on the island was associated with volcanic earthquakes versus undersea eruptions. During this period, a large number of underwater acoustic (hydroacoustic) signals were recorded by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) International Monitoring System (IMS) hydroacoustic station HA11, at Wake Island (U.S. Territory), in the northwestern Pacifc Ocean with signals with directions of arrival consistent with sources located at Ioto. The analysis presented here interprets signal features of the remote hydroacoustic recordings provided by HA11 in order to attempt to distinguish between volcanic earthquake signals and undersea eruption signals originating from Ioto. Histograms of hydroacoustic events interpreted as originating from Ioto correlate well with the in-situ seismic observations at Ioto in the early stage of volcanic activity. The results presented suggest that around 75% of the signals detected at HA11 with directions of arrival consistent with Ioto as their origin could be associated with undersea eruptions, supporting the conclusion that the IMS hydroacoustic stations can contribute to volcanic event remote monitoring.
    [Show full text]
  • Study of the Seismic-Tidal Correlations for Preeruptive, Eruptive and Post-Eruptive Stages of the Submarine Volcano Tagoro, El
    Study of the seismic-tidal correlations for pre- eruptive, eruptive and post-eruptive stages of the submarine volcano Tagoro, El Hierro Island. Atenary Pimentel González Curso 2016/2017 Dr. Eugenio Fraile Nuez Prof. Dr. Melchor González Dávila Trabajo Fin de Título para la obtención del título de Grado en Ciencias del mar. Study of the seismic-tidal correlations for pre-eruptive, eruptive and post-eruptive stages of the submarine volcano Tagoro, El Hierro Island. Student: Atenary Pimentel González. Grado en Ciencias del Mar. Curso: 2016-2017. Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Facultad de Ciencias de Mar. Proyecto realizado en el Centro Oceanográfico de Canarias (COC), Instituto Oceanográfico Español (IEO). Tutor: Prof. Dr. Melchor González Co-tutor:Dr. Eugenio Fraile Nuez Dávila. Instituto Español de Oceanografía Departamento de Química, Universidad (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de de las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Canarias (COC).38180 Santa Cruz Palmas de Gran Canarias, España. Tenerife, España. Instituto Universitario de Oceanografía y Cambio Global (IOCAG) Atenary Pimentel González. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a 6 de Julio 2017 Prof. Dr. Melchor González Dávila Dr. Eugenio Fraile-Nuez Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a 6 de Julio 2017 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a 6 de Julio 2017 Index 1. Abstract ............................................................................................................ 1 2. Motivation ........................................................................................................ 1 3. Background
    [Show full text]
  • Two Seamounts Discovered
    Two seamounts discovered August 22, 1967 Two western Pacific submarine volcanoes, or seamounts, some 53 miles apart and considered among the largest yet discovered, have been found, charted, and named after two veteran marine technicians of the University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Dr. Harmon Craig, UCSD professor of geochemistry and scientific party leader of the Argo Leg 3 of Scripps' Nova Expedition to the southwest Pacific, has reported that the Dixon Seamount measured some 38 miles across the top and 13,100 feet high and that the Hohnhaus Seamount was about 3111 miles across and 12,400 feet tall. They were named after Fred S. Dixon, of San Diego, who joined Scripps in 1955, and George W. Hohnhaus, of San Diego, who joined Scripps in 1953. The two seamounts were discovered about 1,200 miles southwest of Hawaii, 60 miles east of the International Dateline, and halfway between Midway Island and the Fiji Islands. The Dixon Seamount was charted at 12 degrees 33.3 minutes north latitude and 179 degrees 3.8 minutes west longitude and the Hohnhaus Seamount at 13 degrees 27.1 minutes north latitude and 179 degrees 10 minutes west longitude. A typical Pacific submarine volcano approximating the height of the Dixon and Hohnhaus Seamounts is the Henderson Seamount, some 300 miles off Baja California, with an elevation of about 11,000 feet. On land, Mt. Rainier, in the State of Washington, has an elevation of 14,100 feet. Seamounts are usually named after the first name of the wife of the scientific leader of an expedition.
    [Show full text]